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Favorite/Least Favorite Zelda Games

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Finally completed Wind Waker (HD) after so many years. I've owned the original for like 14 or 15 years and I made a good few attempts but for one reason or another I never finished it until now.

I'd say the game is fantastic in just about every department. Soundtrack, visuals, story, characters, combat, but it feels lacking in things to do after a while. You can max out your rupees and weapons and collect figurines, heart pieces and treasure, but at a certain point you come to find that only the main story (in particular returning to Hyrule) is left. I dunno, I'd like some repeatable or fun minigames or something like that. I feel like the world has a lot of potential for things like deep sea exploration and hunting sea monsters (Orca has quite a few sets of jaws in his house) but we never got that. Apparently a sequel was in development but canned in favour of Twilight Princess. I know Phantom Hourglass is a sequel but it's not really the same. I'd still very much like to see a Wind Waker 2.


As for how it ranks, honestly feel like I prefer OOT and Majora's Mask but Wind Waker is up there too. A fantastic game.
 
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Oh boy, where will I start? I've played a good few games to start with, some of them more noticable than others but uhhh here's mine.
  1. Ocarina of Time - The story, music and the environment. It's such a great game with its cast of captivating characters and mechanics. Also the fact that you can go back and forth in time to overcome certain obstacles really captivates the idea of puzzle-solving. The dungeon designs are really thought out and themed. Like the water temple (that's my favourite btw)
  2. Wind Waker - There's something that I love about islands in a way and this game really shows that sense of isolation when you're travelling to them across the sea. I haven't played much of it but I plan to get back into the game however possible. The music's great too, especially Outset.
  3. Triforce Heroes - A real underdog and one of the few games to support co-op multiplayer. If not the most modern of them. While the co-op system is elaborated upon in this game, you can still enjoy it in single player but some of the features are effectively out of bonds without finding new friends to play with. I don't have many friends who have this game so I had to rely on randoms to help me through the trickier parts of the game world. trust me, it took me 10 attempts to beat the Lady's Pets with a cooperative team. Lotta times, the players tend to meander off the main task when we're supposed to coordinate.
    TriforceSuckMyUnit.jpg
  4. Breath of the Wild - Lotta reviews tend to elaborate on the game's level of exploration, that I agree with, but there's little to explore. The world feels barren and it tends to be repeated with the same encounters; Enemies, moblin bases, shrines and nothing else. Sure there's some interesting parts of the world but they all feel too similar to each other. If the different regions have vastly different biomes then it'd definitely be up the list a bit. Then there's the durability system; With the exception of the Master Sword, the complete inability to repair and reforge your equipment forces you to stock up on decent swords for dungeons and tough boss fights; And to lose that powerful spear mid-fight breaks the momentum. They really need to implement this to help promote equipment maintenance rather than treating the weapons as single use.
  5. Majora's Mask - Ah the Cult favourite. Such an elaborate hot mess of a game that was a filler to keep the Zelda joy alive whilst Nintendo worked on their next game. A lot of people love the game, don't get me wrong but... this didn't feel like a Zelda experience. The story is rich and the cast was, without doubt, memorable but... there's so much to do with so little time like literally, you have a limited time window to get s*** done before the moon blows everything wholesale. This whole 'time-limit' idea kinda goes against the whole concept of Legend of Zelda; A game about freedom and exploration and seeing what the land offers but to do that with the clock ticking really dilutes the whole experience. I know it ties in well with the game in itself but with this sheer level of side-missions, NPCs and nit-picking time to pull out the ocarina to restart THE whole time-frame really kicks me the wrong way. It never appealed to me to ever enjoy the game as it should but who am I kidding? I'm just a drop in the ocean when it comes to reviewing these games but who knows.
 

Chevywolf30

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My most favorite game is Twilight Princess!
I like all of the games I've played, so it's kind of hard to pick one I don't like that I've actually bothered to play. Hm... I think I'd choose Age of Calamity as my least favorite game.
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Grogson

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The original is my favourite along with A Link to the Past and A Link between worlds. Minish Cap is also up there.
I guess the one I've played that is the least good is Tri-force Heroes, but then again I've had a ton of fun with it.
 

Chevywolf30

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The original is my favourite along with A Link to the Past and A Link between worlds. Minish Cap is also up there.
I guess the one I've played that is the least good is Tri-force Heroes, but then again I've had a ton of fun with it.
Asking the real questions, have you played Twilight Princess?
 
Joined
Oct 9, 2023
Favorite Zelda game: Twilight Princess.
Least favorite Zelda game: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, still no freaking way to turn off the autosave feature, and items breaks way too fast, that was fixed somewhat in Tears of the Kingdom. But still, not being able to turn off autosave is a big deal for me. I always turn it off when I can, I'm used to playing games where the autosave wasn't even a thing.
 
Joined
Oct 9, 2023
Favorite Zelda game: Twilight Princess.
Least favorite Zelda game: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, still no freaking way to turn off the autosave feature, and items breaks way too fast, that was fixed somewhat in Tears of the Kingdom. But still, not being able to turn off autosave is a big deal for me. I always turn it off when I can, I'm used to playing games where the autosave wasn't even a thing.
I think I'm going to change my stance on my least favorite Zelda game. That would have to be Skyward Sword. For some reason, I find myself going back to every other Zelda game, besides that one. And that's saying something, especially since I ranked the two newest ones so low.
 
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1. Ocarina Of Time - My favorite Zelda game AND my favorite video game of all time. Playing this and Majora's Mask on the 3DS made me realize how much they both stood out compared to other Zelda titles and even other 3D Zelda titles. This game is also even darker than Twilight Princess which is rated Teen, probably due to Twilight Princess's appearance in the game rather than the atmosphere at times like in Ocarina Of Time. I love the inclusion of the child and adult timelines, and how the story sets you up as the chosen one going on this serious quest to defeat the final villain. I know it's cliche but no other game I've played has done this and executed it as well as Ocarina Of Time did, which makes it all the more epic.

2. Majora's Mask - My second favorite Zelda game AND my second favorite video game of all time. This game is the darkest Zelda game out there, and there's a bleak atmosphere throughout the third day and especially the final hours. There's also a lot of sidequests and it lets you get to know all of the Termina citizens as well, and even if they're just the same characters in Ocarina Of Time, just in an alternate universe where you have no real connection to, you can really relate to their backstories. The Anju & Kafei sidequest for example is the best sidequest I've ever experienced in a video game.

3. Wind Waker - This game has the best story of any game I've ever played. This Link is just an underdog who becomes a legend, Tetra is anything but another Zelda clone, and Ganondorf is at his best here in character development. The King Of Red Lions, or Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, the King Of Hyrule, is also a great character. The ocean in this game is quite vast and has many secrets to uncover as well. I just loved exploring every island, mapping the entire thing, and getting all of the treasure charts and finding all of the treasure.

4. Twilight Princess - I feel like this is when Zelda becomes more cinematic, although that isn't a bad thing. The inclusion of Twilight and the Twilight Realm made this game aesthetically dark, and when you add in the dark shaded graphics, it works perfectly for this game. With that said, as opposed to Ocarina Of Time and Majora's Mask, which pull off dark themes near perfectly, Twilight Princess can try too hard to be dark at times. More positives include the overworld itself, which is just as vast as Wind Waker's except with far less water, as well as the combat system, with it being the best in this Zelda game than any other, and Midna and Zant are both awesome characters.

5. Skyward Sword - This game is cinematic just like Twilight Princess. Groose is the best Zelda character I've witnessed in the franchise, and Link and Zelda's relationship is the best here than any other Zelda title. I feel like the characters and their relationships are at its peak in this Zelda game in general, actually. I do feel like this is where the 3D Zelda games start to show decline in quality, however. For example, I feel like the overworld is lacking compared to ones like Twilight Princess, and the sky islands are less interesting than Wind Waker's islands. Nonetheless, this is still a solid Zelda game and I would recommend newcomers to Zelda play OOT, MM, WW, TP, and SS to get a complete Zelda experience.

6. Breath Of The Wild - Great video game, bad 3D Zelda title. I feel like they changed too much, like the overworld is far bigger than Wind Waker's and Twilight Princess' but the dungeons, or shrines, are far smaller here, and the dungeons that aren't shrines are fewer than Majora's Mask's dungeons. The items and equipment are also less interesting, with many of them breaking after a certain point as well. Still noticeably superior to the 2D Zelda titles.

7. Tears Of The Kingdom - Same as Breath Of The Wild, great video game, bad 3D Zelda title. Many of the positive aspects about Breath Of The Wild were improved upon in Tears Of The Kingdom, but many of the negative aspects were magnified, so it’s overall the inferior game. Also noticeably superior to the 2D Zelda titles.

8. A Link To The Past - A true classic and the best 2D Zelda game ever, including compared to the 2019 Link's Awakening remake. This game is quite underrated, as I hardly see any praise for it these days, even compared to other 2D Zelda games. The difficulty, dungeons, and length are all the best in this game than any other Zelda game.

9. Link's Awakening - This is a very good 2D Zelda game, especially for its time. I actually like how it's another canon side story Zelda title like Majora's Mask, and I love the romance with Link and Marin because it's unlike anything you see in any other Zelda game. If you want to get into a 2D Zelda game, I strongly recommend the 2019 remake of this game. I might like A Link To The Past better, but it'll be easier to get into 2D Zelda games by starting with the 2019 remake.

10. Oracle Of Ages - I feel like this is almost objectively better than Oracle Of Seasons even though I like that game too. For one thing, Labrynna is not a rip off of the map in the original Legend Of Zelda game like Holodrum is. Another is that the story is superior, and Veran is a much better main villain than Onox is.

11. Oracle Of Seasons - Inferior to Ages in almost every way. One thing it has on Ages though is that Subrosia is a very interesting inclusion to the game, and I also like the Natzu terrains more than Nuun terrains.

12. Minish Cap - I feel like this is a decent game. I like how you have ties to the royal family in this game, and the Minish were a cool race in the Zelda universe. Elzo is a good sidekick character, but Vaati is not a good villain. I actually feel like the game could have been more interesting without Kinstone pieces, which I feel is a tedious sidequest, as well.

13. Phantom Hourglass - The free roaming adventure of Wind Waker was scrapped in place of the gimmick loading screens between islands and stations in Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, and the dungeons are also worse in these games than in Wind Waker. Phantom Hourglass is not a bad game though, Linebeck is a great character, and the islands themselves are bigger and more interesting than in Wind Waker.

14. Spirit Tracks - What could have made this game more interesting is rather than getting to explore an open world, you're restricted to trains and railroads. This game has the best incarnation of Zelda though, and traveling on a train itself in this game is actually more enjoyable than traveling from island to island in Phantom Hourglass. Like Phantom Hourglass, this isn't a bad game, either.

15. A Link Between Worlds - I feel like this either should have been an 3D remake of A Link To The Past, or just a game taking place thousands of years after it with a different Hyrule rather than a spiritual successor. I also feel like this game is too short. I do like the use of items in this game though and completing the dungeons in whatever order you want to.

16. The Legend Of Zelda - This is getting into the territory of Zelda games I dislike. There's little to no real sidequests in this game, and while people who give this game praise say there's so much to explore, I could find better secrets in later Zelda titles than this one. Still noticeably better than Adventure Of Link.

17. The Adventure Of Link - I'll give this game credit where it's due because it's the only side scrolling Zelda game. However, the three lives system alone makes this inferior to and aged even worse than The Legend Of Zelda, even if it being the hardest Zelda game is also one of its strongest points.

18. Four Swords - Definitely a fun game, it's too bad it has to be played with more than one player. There's no real story either other than beating Vaati yet again.

19. Four Swords Adventures - This game feels like it's a rip off of A Link To The Past in some ways, with it being vastly inferior to it as well. The levels and gameplay are just not something you should see in a Zelda game, as well.

20. Triforce Heroes - This is the only game in the franchise where I think it's not only just a bad Zelda game, it's just a bad game in general. I don't have anything else to say other than this.
 

DarthCreeper10

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1. Ocarina of Time
2. Breath of the Wild
3. Link to the Past
 

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